Page 20 of Kiss the Bride

“You’re having a good time?” she asked them.

“Oh, yes!” Tara’s sweet smile filled the screen. “It’s been wonderful!”

Warmth blossomed in her chest. Tara and Jason deserved all the best.

Her cousin brushed a kiss onto Tara’s forehead before his expression turned serious. “How are things going there? Any problems?”

She toyed with an earring. “Nothing I haven’t been able to handle. The Hoovers asked if we could sing at their reception. They were disappointed to learn you were out of town, but they perked right up when I told them ‘Mary’ would make a special appearance at no charge. We had a great time at the reception on Friday.”

“I’m sorry we left you with so much to handle.” Regret played across Jason’s face.

“I’ll fill in for you when we get back,” Tara offered. “I already know the songs for the performances. Now that I’ll be living at the Cottage, I probably ought to learn everything else, too. From the financial end on down.”

Jason’s expression brightened. “You can finally take that nice, long vacation you’ve been putting off.”

“Maybe,” she hedged. Jason and Tara meant well, but their suggestions only highlighted a growing concern. Now that her cousin had found his true love, his wife would rightly assume the role of hostess of the Captain’s Cottage. As for the skits and pageants, it was only fitting for Tara to play Mary opposite Jason’s impression of the swashbuckling captain.

But where did that leave her, Evelyn wondered. Without a firm goal in mind, looking at the future made her feel uneasy and unsettled. In a move that normally calmed her thoughts, she stroked her ponytail while she filled Jason in on the Wedding-in-a-Week festivities.

On the screen, he grinned. “That’s great news, Evelyn. Can’t you just picture it? Daniel in his uniform. Brianna all decked out. They’ll look wonderful on the cover of Weddings Today with the Captain’s Cottage in the background. The publicity will generate a ton of new business. Maybe enough to pay for that new roof.”

“You think so?” Replacing the slate on a one-hundred-year-old home was no easy feat. Artisans skilled enough to hand-shape the tiles were hard to come by.

The few they’d located were horribly expensive. She’d nearly fainted dead away when Jason had shown her the first cost estimate. But her cousin was right, she decided, running the numbers in her head. With the added business a big, splashy article in Weddings Today would generate, they might even have the work completed before the June bride season started next year.

She sat for a long moment after she and Jason said their goodbyes. Despite her efforts to forget about it, the question she’d asked herself during the call wouldn’t go away.

What came next for her?

She’d never become the kindly maiden aunt tucked away in the family wing, living off her cousin’s charity. For one thing, she spoke her mind too often for anyone to mistake her as kindly. Then there was the not-so-little matter of earning her keep, something she insisted on doing. She squared her shoulders. In order to prove she was still a vital member of the team, she needed to drum up new business for the busiest wedding venue in town. Which meant making sure Brianna and Daniel chose the Captain’s Cottage for their wedding venue. No matter the cost.

She tugged on her lower lip. Short of breaking the rules, that was. She’d never do that. But she couldn’t afford to let her friendship with Ryan get in the way of what was best for the Captain’s Cottage. Or winning that dinner at Bow Tie Pasta. She grinned.

The time had come to find out more about her competition. And, thanks to the mayor’s little plan, she had just the excuse she needed. If that meant she had to spend a little bit more time around a certain hunky carpenter who made her heart race, all the better. Right?

She reached for her cell phone and punched Ryan’s number.

The sun rode low in the western sky by the time Ryan climbed the ladder into the old treehouse. In the small copse of woods near the Captain’s Cottage, cool air and shade provided a welcome relief from the summer heat. He stood at the railing and scanned the path that led from the trunk of the sturdy red oak to the mansion’s manicured lawns. A figure rounded the corner of the house. Evelyn. He didn’t need to see the red hair she’d twisted into thick braids to know it was her. He’d recognize her long, lean silhouette anywhere.

He checked his watch. She was running a few minutes late. But then, punctuality had never been her forte. Still, there she was, striding toward him. How had he let himself get trapped into working with her? Especially just after he’d sworn to keep his distance? Maybe he should have his head—and his heart—examined.

But no. He was doing this for the sake of Heart’s Landing. For Brianna and Daniel, a couple who deserved their very own perfect wedding. For the Boat Works. The Wedding-in-a-Week competition was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He’d be a fool not to put his all into it. Even if it did mean working with Evelyn. Besides, it was only for a week. He’d do his part and she’d do hers, and when the seven days were up, he’d walk away with his heart intact.

“Knock, knock.” Evelyn’s voice floated up through the hole in the floor of the treehouse. A light tapping sounded as she rapped on the ladder.

“You need a hand up?” He peered down at her. When they were kids, climbing up the ladder had felt like climbing Mount Everest.

“I’ve got it,” she grumbled.

Same old Evelyn. Competition was part of her nature. He stepped back as her head popped through the square hole. With an effortless grace, she hoisted herself up the rest of the way.

“You sure picked the strangest place to meet. Frankly, I wasn’t sure you knew our old fort still existed.”

“Oh, I knew, all right.” They’d spent a lot of time in the treehouse when they were younger. He had a thousand good memories of the place. “I checked it out soon after I came back to Heart’s Landing. A couple of the steps on the ladder had come loose. So had one of the railings. I replaced those. Otherwise, it was in decent shape, considering how long it’s been here.”

“Hmmm.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You didn’t have to do that. I can have the gardening crew give it a thorough look every so often and make whatever repairs are necessary.”

“I don’t mind.” He paused, uncertain whether or not he was saying too much. “I stop by from time to time. It’s a good place to think and clear my head.”

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